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Duckworth's victory speech

Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii who did a tour in Iraq with the Army National Guard’s 29th Brigade in 2004, was elected to the House with 8o percent of the vote.

Gabbard, who is just 31, said her service has influenced her political career.

“One of the most heartbreaking responsibilities I had was to go over the list of troops who had been injured or killed every day and identify Hawaii soldiers so that I could make sure they were receiving proper care. This experience has never left me,” Gabbard told POLITICO.

“It helped me more fully appreciate the tremendous cost of war,” she said. “Our men and women in uniform and their families provide the greatest service and make the highest sacrifice for us,” she said. “We owe them a debt of gratitude, and I want to make sure they receive the respect and support they need and deserve. That’s an important part of what brought me to Congress and will always be an important part of what I work on there.”

Tammy Duckworth was elected after her second shot at a House seat in Illinois. An Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot who lost her legs in a crash in Iraq in 2004, she was a star at the Democratic National Convention this summer in Charlotte, N.C.

After losing her 2006 race for the 6th Congressional District, Duckworth was elected to the 8th Congressional District, unseating Republican Rep. Joe Walsh.

It was a nasty race, and at one point Walsh blasted the Iraq War vet for talking about the war too much.

On election night, Duckworth tweeted: “Amazing night. I would not be here had the real heroes and the healers not saved my life. Thank you.”

The two women join about two dozen other veterans joining or returning to Congress next year.

And the ranks could grow: Martha McSally, a Republican from Arizona, is in a deadlock with her incumbent Democratic opponent; the race is still too close to call. McSally was an Air Force pilot who flew missions over Afghanistan.

The overall number of veterans is Congress is expected to stay about the same, but a changing of the guard is beginning to take place on Capitol Hill. The makeup of lawmakers is gradually but clearly shifting from people who served in World War II, Korea or Vietnam to those who served in Afghanistan, Operation Desert Storm and Iraq.

Readers' Comments (12)

I completely agree with Senator Murray that combat veteran members of Congress know the true cost of war. The more veterans we have in Congress, the less war we will have. Veterans will also make sure that other veterans are taken care of, which is extremely important for our nation. Freedom isn't free. Lives and limbs are lost to protect our rights and we should honor the sacrifices that are made by our military members and their families.

Photo Caption: ' I don't know, everybody says ' he likes Blue Dress's and I haven't seen him yet. Tulsi has and she say's that he; ' meets and exceeds her specifications ' as ' THE MAN'...... And I can't believe what Nancy Pelosi said either ! That's incredible ...... I'm so excited to meet him........ and what was her name again ? '

America's changing future is now and Tulsi Gabbard and Tammy Duckworth are it.

Our current 'grand bargain' between Wall & K Street and Capital Hill is not a new one, and while those on the extreme Right cheer and encourage our reversal of fortune, our problems come more from GOP 'bag men' Cantor, Mitch & Boehner and their handlers Rove and Norquist who worship at the altar of Robber Barons who established the method for the 1% to control the 99% by owing chunks of our three branches of government.

The history of wealthy vs. less moneyed Middle Class AND educated vs. uninformed both created and resulted from a core cultural belief in and fear of North vs. South and White vs. all other races.

Study, not just the lives, but time and CAUSE of deaths of Lincoln, McKinley, FDR and Kennedy.

What President Obama is facing is neither accident nor new and if "We the People" don't help him by elected more Government in the persons of people like Tulsi Gabbard and Tammy Ducworth, we will be allowing the emulators of those who carved up America for themselves, between 1865--1963, to twist America into a nation of Lords and surfs.

Congratulations to these two wonderful women. I cannot adequately expresshow proud I amof them. God's speed and much success to them. They are what weneed to move forward for veteran's and women's rights and programs. I'm confident that our verteran's programs will be carefully monitored for te best application for our deserving veterans.

Maybe someday voters will place a priority on those who served and were wounded. Then, instead of lobbyists telling Congress how to vote, veterans in Congress will think twice before increasing the body bag count.

CONGRATS to these two female veterans in their new offices. Although they are not from my party I trust them more then I trust most of the non veterans of both parties. They know first hand what veterans have seen and been through and may be going through now. I may or may not agree with some of their other politics which remains to be seen. But I know that they will have the best interests of all vets in mind.

I'm so proud of Tulsi, she comes out of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu community in Hawaii (official name of the Hare Krishna religion) I'm a part of. I know her parents from back in the '80s when they were leaders in the Hawaii Hare Krishna community under the guidance of their guru Hawaii-born Jagad Guru Chris Butler. He's been a guru since the late '60s, and leader of the Science of Identity Foundation, which Tulsi's parents helped run for many years. Tulsi and her siblings grew up in that community, but a lot of the info on her in the media recently is flawed with inaccuracies, for the whole truth from people who know her and the community she comes from, go to the "Hare Krishna Women" blog to the post "Ms. Tulsi Goes to Washington." It's at harekrishnawomen.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/ms-tulsi-goes-to-washington/